Wednesday, June 25, 2008

BEIJING (AP) — A state news agency says two Chinese air force jets crashed in a city suburb in Inner Mongolia after a midair collision.

Xinhua News Agency says the J-8 fighters collided during a training mission over the suburb of the regional capital Hohhot on Wednesday. It says both pilots ejected and parachuted to safety, suffering only minor injuries.

Xinhua says both planes crashed in inhabited areas, but gave no word on casualties. It says the planes were attached to the northern Shenyang Military District.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

J.L Shuford, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy President, Naval War College, wrote a fine introduction about US Naval War college’s China Maritime Studies Institute in the current issue of Naval War College Review (Spring 2008 Volume 61, Number 2)

"Navy leadership understood this well and saw the requirement for objective research on China’s rise that would be insulated from the various policy agendas driving the debates about China in Washington. With this concern in mind, the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) was established in October 2006 at the College.The objective was not to create another China institute—of which many fine examples exist in academia—but rather to create a China maritime studies institute.The intention was to give this new institute the focus required to succeed and thereby fill an emerging gap."

For those who wish to know more about this young but very important organization, manned with some of the finest minds in the business and produced an impressive array of works recently, go check the full introduction at the following linkhttp://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/review/documents/NWCRSP08.pdf

While you are there, go check out "No Oil for the Lamps of China?" on page 79 also

No Oil for the Lamps of China?

Gabriel B. Collins and William S. MurrayChinese naval and strategic planners fear, and their Western counterparts seem to believe, that a maritime blockade could interrupt or significantly impede China’s energy supplies in a limited war. But probably it could not, and thinking it could is dangerous for everyone.

A JAPANESE Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer arrived in Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province yesterday to start a five-day visit to China.

The destroyer, Sazanami, carrying 240 Japanese officers, is the first Japanese warship to visit China since World War II. The voyage is a return visit as the Chinese missile destroyer Shenzhen docked in Japan last year.

A welcoming ceremony was held for the Sazanami's arrival in Zhanjiang, along with a transfer ceremony of quake aid from the Japanese Defense Ministry and Self Defense Forces, which was carried on the destroyer.

The materials, including food, blankets, hygiene masks, disinfectants and other items, will be unloaded today and then travel to the quake zone by train.

"The visit is a sign of the friendly ties between the Chinese people and the Japanese people," said Lieutenant General Su Shiliang, commander of China's South Sea Fleet.

Su expressed gratitude to Japan for providing aid and assistance after the May 12 earthquake and for relief materials shipped to the quake zone.

The Sazanami's visit will promote exchanges between the two defense departments, help build mutual trust, and enhance the development of the China-Japan strategic, mutually beneficial relationship, Su said.

Major-General Shinichi Tokumaru of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force said he believed that the visit would help consolidate the friendly ties between the two countries.

Japan Naval Ship Arrives in China Amid Warmer Ties (Update1)

By Dune Lawrence and Toko Sekiguchi

June 24 (Bloomberg) -- A Japanese destroyer arrived in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang today to deliver earthquake-relief supplies, the first visit to China by a naval ship from Japan since World War II.

The ``Sazanami'' arrived in the Guangdong province port city for a planned five-day docking, Akio Takahashi of Japan's Defense Ministry said today. The 240-crew ship will host Chinese military officers and the Japanese sailors will play soccer and basketball games with their counterparts. The visit follows a Chinese navy missile destroyer's to Japan last year.

The military exchange comes amid improving ties between Asia's two largest economies after both agreed to try to set aside diplomatic controversies over Japan's occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s.

``This is a breakthrough that we've been looking for for a long time,'' said Phil Deans, a professor at Temple University in Tokyo specializing in Japan-China relations. ``These naval exchanges are really a way of trying to reassure the governments of both sides and reassure the people that they don't need to be worried about each other.''

Hu Jintao became the first Chinese president to visit Japan in a decade in May and last week the two countries reached an accord on joint gas exploration in the East China Sea, ending a four-year dispute. The deal is a breakthrough for Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who has worked to improve relations that soured under former Premier Junichiro Koizumi.

Fukuda's Promise

Relations between China and Japan have warmed since 2006, when Fukuda's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, replaced Koizumi. Koizumi inflamed long-standing Chinese anger over Japan's conduct before and during World War II with trips to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, where war criminals are among those memorialized.

Japan's military is a sensitive issue around Asia, where millions died at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. Fukuda promised before becoming prime minister that he would not visit the war memorial, Yasukuni.

China's government has also worked to make the Chinese public's perception of Japan more positive. A Japanese rescue team was among the first foreign offers of rescue workers accepted by China after the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province that killed more than 69,000 people.

The Sazanami is delivering supplies including 300 blankets and 2,600 items of emergency food.

Still, Japan has signaled unease with China's surging military spending. Japan's parliament authorized the use of outer space for defense purposes last month, supporting increased spending on rockets and satellites after China shot down a weather satellite in a military test last year.

Japan's defense ministry criticized that missile test, saying it threatened ``satellites around the world, whether they are civilian or military,'' according to its annual East Asian Strategic Review, published in March.

Hu promised during his May 6-10 visit to Japan his nation won't spark an arms race with its neighbors or pose a military threat to ``any country.''

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Indonesia and China have embarked on a joint production of various war machines in a bid to help the Southeast Asian country replace its aging warfare equipment and ease dependency on imports.

Indonesian Ambassador to China Maj. Gen. (ret) Sudrajat said Monday the long-term cooperation would cover production of military vehicles, tanks and missiles.

"What we have now is a project to produce missiles," Sudrajat told reporters.

"In this project, the Chinese defense industry will cooperate with BPPT to produce missile launchers and they will work together with PT Pindad to produce the missile's ammunition,"

Sudrajat was speaking after reporting to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the progress of Indonesia-China relations at the presidential office.

BPPT is the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology and Pindad is the Army's arms maker.

The joint production followed last year's signing of a defense cooperation agreement between the two countries on military training and arms production.

Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono held talks with Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan last month in Jakarta to discuss details of the agreement.

Sudradjat said under the joint production agreement, military equipment ordered from China would be produced at plants belonging to Pindad in Bandung or state shipbuilder PT PAL in Surabaya.

"In their procurement process, the Indonesian Army, Navy and Air Force have struck a deal with Chinese authorities to make some parts of the equipment in Indonesia and by Indonesian companies," Sudrajat said.

The president ordered the Indonesian Military to ground its aging equipment following a series of fatal accidents involving its war machines in the last few months.

Budget constraints have been blamed for the slow modernization of defense equipment in the country.

The 2008 state budget raised defense spending to Rp 36.4 trillion ($3.8 billion), but most of the money will be spent on military personnel's welfare.

The government said it was also reluctant to embark on credit export facilities offered by some Western countries for fear of criticism around further accumulation of fresh foreign debts.

Chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission I on security, defense and foreign affairs Theo Sambuaga hailed the start of joint Indonesia-China production of military equipment.

He said the move was a solution to Indonesia's budgetary limitation to replace aging warfare equipment.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

China proposes disaster relief cooperation plan at 10+3 workshop

english.chinamil.com.cn 2008-06-12

SHIJIAZHUANG, June 12 (Xinhua) -- China has proposed a tentative plan of standard operating procedure (SOP) for cooperation on disaster relief by armed forces of the ASEAN plus China, Japan, the Republic of Korea ("10+3") at a workshop held in a north China city Thursday.

The proposal drew great interest from the participants of other countries, while differences on the understanding of some issues still existed, according to the Field Army Commanding Academy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Shijiazhuang, sponsor of the workshop, which opened on Tuesday.

Chen Shengwu, a colonel with the academy, said the making of the SOP was of great significance to strengthening the 10+3 disaster relief cooperation in the way of giving full play to the role of the armed forces in regional disaster relief.

He said the SOP of international disaster relief by armed forces should be based on the SOP of the mission unit. This means the unit that carries out or is ready to carry out the tasks of international disaster relief.

He said the SOP of mission units of 10+3 armed forces in international disaster relief should serve for the relief of massive natural disasters of various kinds.

The SOP should set principles guiding the action of mission units. Assistance missions must observe humanitarianism, show respect of the host nation's sovereignty and have no string attached with.

Mission units deployed in the disaster-hit areas should be submitted to the command of the disaster-hit country, and accept its coordination.

Mission units personnel should wear uniforms of their own countries with identification that stands out, and not carry weapons. They should respect the local religion, custom and convention, and abide by the 10+3 regulations on disaster relief cooperation.

The mission units should also strengthen contacts and coordination with the United Nations humanitarian organizations and other international assistance organizations, said Chen.

He said each of the 10+3 countries should establish special liaison departments in charge of providing statistics of the ability and assets of mission unit of each country. The 10+3 countries should frequently exchange information on the capacity building and assets of each other's mission unit and report to the coordinating body.

According to Chen, China attaches great importance to the making of international disaster relief SOP. As a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), China has jointly drafted out a set of principles guiding ARF disaster relief with Indonesia and joined in the amendment of the ARF Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief SOP (HADR SOP).

China also paid close attention to the making of the ASEAN Standby Arrangements and Standard Operating Procedures (SASOP) and made efforts to promote the making of 10+3 SOP.

According to Cui Yafeng, deputy head of the Shijiazhuang Academy who chaired the workshop, the foreign participants showed great interest on the proposal by the Chinese side. They also put forward some constructive ideas.

He said differences, however, existed on the concept of mission units and some other aspects, so it was yet to reach consensus.

The three-day workshop, held at a time when China and Myanmar were suffering from the massive quake and cyclone disasters respectively, had somehow promoted the 10+3 nations to speed up the pace of enhancing disaster relief cooperation.

Qian Lihua, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Defense Ministry, told reporters the number and ranking of officers attending this year's workshop both exceeded that of last year. He believed the workshop would help promote the role of 10+3 armed forces in domestic and regional disaster relief.

Qian expressed his appreciation of foreign countries' assistance and donations to China for the quake disaster. The workshop also discussed on the coordinating mechanism for 10+3 disaster relief by armed forces, gathering constructive proposals by all sides.

The participants also watched a field drill Wednesday by the Bethune Military Medical College in Shijiazhuang, a 70-year old college created by Dr. Norman Bethune. The devoted Canadian doctor worked in China during the second World War. The college also joined in the disaster relief in Sichuan Province.

Monday, June 09, 2008

The long rumored two transportation regiments organic to the 15th Airborne Corp had been confirmed by the Earthquake.The sizes of those two regiments are still small and they still have to use both PLAAF 34th and 13th Transport Divisions in a foreseeable future.However, this is an important development in PLA’s offensive capabilities.

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Monday, June 02, 2008

Japanese warship to visit China

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-06/02/content_6729296.htm

(cri) Updated: 2008-06-02 15:30

A Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force warship will visit China later this month as part of the mutual visits by the two navies. The missile destroyer, Takanami, will be the first Japanese warship making appearance in a Chinese harbor since the end of the World War II, said a report from the domestic newspaper, Global Times.

The paper, mainly dedicated to covering international affairs, reported the visit has nothing to do with the current relief operation in China's quake-hit Sichuan province.

The Chinese navy destroyer, Shenzhen, paid a four-day visit to Tokyo in November 2007 as part of the activities marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties.

It's also the first visit by a Chinese warship to Japan since 1891.

China and Japan reached an agreement on the mutual visits of the two navies in October 2000, which was later put on hold due to the Yasukuni Shrine visits by then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

The two sides agreed to carry out the plan at a defense minister conference on August 30, 2007.